The Words She Couldn't Take Back
by virihu
Summary: Warnings: This has a ton of angst and a character death. There are also spoilers for 3x01. Proceed at your own discretion. I'm also really terrible at summaries.


Author's Warning:

This story contains a metric ton of angst and a character death. It also contains a spoiler from the Youtube video of a scene in 3x01 Civil War that surfaced a few days ago. Proceed at your own discretion.

Author's Note:

I had to watch the video 8 - 10 times to pull the quote from it. The quote stuck out the first time I watched it, and this story has been swirling around in my head ever since. The quote in italics and Paige trying to walk away from Walter are what I took from the video. Everything else is made up. If you enjoy angst and tragedy, I hope you enjoy it. As always, constructive criticism is welcome. All other types of criticism will be promptly ignored.

Disclaimer: Yeah, I don't own any of the characters mentioned in the story. I wish I did, but, sadly, that is not the case.

* * *

 _...You have to choose to disrupt everyone else's happiness._

She knew she would regret those words the moment they left her mouth, but not like this.

Never like this.

As she desperately pressed her blood-soaked jacket to the wound in Walter's chest, she wondered, briefly, how it ever came to this.

They had argued, and in her anger, she had walked away from him and left him alone. She had turned the corner and was walking down the block when she heard the gunshots and rushed back to find Walter on the ground with a hole in his chest.

"It wasn't supposed to happen like this," she thought as the tears fell from her eyes.

She was supposed to be angry with him for a couple of days, and then, everything would go back to normal. He wasn't supposed to be laying here dying while she tried desperately to stop the bleeding.

She wanted to say something...anything. She wanted to tell him to hold on, but fear paralyzed her vocal cords.

She could feel his eyes on her. His look told her that there was something he wanted to say because he knew he didn't have much time left. He opened his mouth to speak, but a lightning bolt of pain flashed through his body taking his breath and his speech.

"At least..." he gasped through clenched teeth as pain, once again, wracked his body, "At least, you can be happy now that I won't be around to ruin it."

His words sent a bolt of pain through her body the likes of which she had never experienced and her tears came faster. He thought she would be happier without him.

She wanted to tell him he was wrong...that that wasn't what she meant, but the words were trapped behind her tears.

Now that he had accomplished his goal, his eyes slid shut, and Paige panicked.

"No!" she thought, "Please, don't close your eyes."

She moved one of her blood-caked hands to his face, willing him to open his eyes...to just look at her.

His eyes fluttered open, and she could see a mixture of pain and exhaustion swirling in their depths. There was also calm in them as well. She hated that look...the acceptance of his fate. He was letting go, and she just couldn't accept that. If only her voice would work...

Again, his eyes slid shut, and his breathing slowed. His face swam in the blur of tears clouding her vision. Paige counted the seconds between breaths, praying that his next one wouldn't be his last.

Each second felt like years, until Walter drew one last breath. She felt the air leave his lungs through her jacket, and his heart slowed to a stop.

"Walter," she finally managed to croak between sobs, "No...Please...don't..."

And then she was alone...

...with a blood-stained jacket and words she couldn't take back.

* * *

I'm sorry. I couldn't get it out of my head. That spoiler video was distressing, and when I'm distressed, I write angsty thing. Please don't hate me. *ducks for cover*

*Pops head back up* I do hope that at least a couple of you enjoyed it though. Maybe? Yes? No? Ok. *ducks for cover again.*

For those who asked about the video I was referencing, it's not letting me post a link to it in the chapter (because FFN), but I will put a link to it on my profile for a few days for those who haven't seen it and want to watch it.


End file.
